With darts, cards, skittles and shove ha’penny available, there is plenty to keep visitors entertained at the Gardeners Arms in Higham, near Rochester. The distinctive V-shaped building is also home to a ladies’ morris dancing group and hosts a monthly karaoke night.

If business does beckon, there is free wi-fi, while children can stay safe in the walled garden, complete with televisions and heaters. The a la carte menu offers traditional home-cooked English fare, and there is bed and breakfast available, including a luxurious four-poster bed.

Located right in the centre of Higham, this village pub is at the heart of the community, offering cut-priced meals for pensioners and a home delivery service on Sundays. The pub, which started life as a market garden, is a stone’s throw from where novelist Charles Dickens spent his final years at Gads Hill Place.